Romans 4:4-8
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” *
*Romans 4:8 Psalm 32:1,2
This verse means that if a person could earn right standing with God by being good, the granting of that gift wouldn't be a free act; it would be an obligation. Our self-reliance is futile; all we can do is cast ourselves on God's mercy and grace. When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry. "Do I have enough faith?" they wonder "is my faith strong enough to save me?" These people miss the point. It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and He is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Jesus offers us salvation as a gift because He loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then, is the role of faith?
Faith is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, and reaching out to accept His wonderful gift of salvation.
David was a guilty sinner and yet experienced joy and forgiveness. We too can have the same, when we:
1) Quit denying our guilt and recognize our sins.
2) Admit our sins and ask God for forgiveness.
3) Let go of our guilt and have faith that God has forgiven us.
We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin. In view of the tremendous price He paid on the cross, it is arrogant to think that any of our sins are too great for Him to cover. Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us, God's Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)